General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) systems such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) currently rely on two network elements: a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN). A tunneling protocol called the GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) typically handles the correspondent flows between the SGSN and the GGSN. One GGSN typically routes traffic between a mobile node on the GPRS system and the correspondent flows on the GTP tunnel. Routing the mobile node traffic and the correspondent flows through one GGSN causes inefficiency in the routing of data within the GPRS system.
Currently available methods for streamlining routing include the application of mobile Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) mechanisms. However, there is currently no means for GPRS systems to exploit the packet transfer acceleration opportunities provided by mobile IPv6. A desirable goal would be to increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the GPRS solution to mobility management.